


In Over My Head

by Gothams_Only_Wolf



Series: Widow Bites [2]
Category: Black Widow (Comics), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (2015)
Genre: Blood and Violence, Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, Male-Female Friendship, Multi, Spies & Secret Agents, Spies are Fluffy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-11
Updated: 2016-01-11
Packaged: 2018-05-13 04:47:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,436
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5695360
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gothams_Only_Wolf/pseuds/Gothams_Only_Wolf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Widow is drowning in red but cannot see the light. </p><p>An old friend returns to help her see.</p>
            </blockquote>





	In Over My Head

**Author's Note:**

> This can be seen as a companion piece to Widow and The Caucasian Ovcharka but it's not necessary to read it to understand what's happening here. 
> 
> References are made here. Point 'em out if you can spot 'em. 
> 
> Enjoy!

* * *

Natasha spits out blood into the face of her captors this time. They shrink back as she snarls wordlessly at them, her face contorting into a picture of pure rage; today is the day she takes for herself and— _ **They won't leave her alone**_. 

She thrashes in the chair, the cuffs creaking dangerously as she rocks all of her weight to one side and then to the other. 

Two of the guards flinch as Natasha dislocates her thumb with a horrendous crack. It gives her all the time in the world to slip the top set of cuffs, snap her thumb back into place with a crunch and bend down to dig into the left cuff with the bobby pin in her hair tucked just behind her ear. 

By the time the guards are moving, she's fashioned the pin into a lancet small enough to stab the first guard in the eye and she uses the chair to beat the other bloody. Breaking off two chair legs leaves her with weapons even if she's limping due to the tightness of the right cuff, her trail scant traces of blood that glow the same as the super-soldier serum in UV lights (the one they hit her with in the Red Room). 

It's when she starts crossing bodies that reek of her training does she pause. 

One of her captors goes flying and Natasha blinks in surprise before her bloodied lips curl into a sweet smile. She refuses not to be genuine with this particular friend. 

"Illya, you too?" 

"They caught me grocery shopping. Fools. I may be older but I am not _stupid_ ," comes the reply from her last student, Illya Kuryakin, formerly of the KGB and now retired from U.N.C.L.E. as well. He's aged some since she last saw him. "Was it '74 or '81 that we saw each other last?" 

"Budapest." She doesn't drop her guard, knowing Illya hasn't either as they keep pace with one another.

"Ah, '95. That was almost as fun as '64 in Istanbul. I do not know if Leo has forgiven you for the scar up his leg." Illya chuckles as he borrows her other chair leg to viciously stab a yelling assailant. "The hire is so pathetic these days. Do they take them to a boot camp for two weeks and hope they survive?" 

"What a shame. It was his leg or his life." Natasha murmurs as they walk along the dimly lit hallways. "I think so. I'm not even sure who it is, frankly, and I am in less and less of a mood to find out," She dodges as Illya swings hard to his left, hitting a creature above her and they coordinate as they had in the old days with sign language to take out the tangles of tentacles and chomping teeth. 

"We will paint the walls red with them. No matter," Illya promises in English and Russian. "They made me late for dinner." 

"Was Leo cooking?" Natasha can see how that would be a deal-breaker; Solo made beautiful food. 

Illya makes a mournful sound. "My favorite." 

"Bastards." 

"Darling, I think we got here too late. Boo." Teller's voice echoes along the entrance tunnel and Illya's entire face lights up. 

"My sweet, vicious fox," he coos softly as he stops short of a salt-and-pepper Agent Teller. "Did you get him?" 

"No. The Avengers carted him off before we could get to him." Teller sighs as she caresses Illya's blood-spattered face. "No matter. He will be rotting in the bowels of some S.H.I.E.L.D. facility for what he did." 

"I found an old friend." Illya murmurs as he wraps an arm around Natasha's shoulders. "Romanova." 

"Budapest. I do remember. Leo's rather fond of that scar," Gaby admits as Solo limps up to them. 

"Peril, you better not be—Romanova! Quite the reunion. Did you find them?" Solo asks as the Avengers try to peer past the U.N.C.L.E. and S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents. 

"I did." To be more clear, Natasha's day out with her _husbands_ has been ruined. She was quite sure Phil was slowly, oh-so-slowly, pulling out where she was from the one Teller had grabbed. "I heard they ruined dinner?" 

"No. I knew something was wrong when Illya failed to show up for our weekly dinner." Solo clucks his tongue at Illya's bloodied and bruised face. 

"Cowboy, you always say that." Illya hesitates to touch his own spouses and sully them with blood. Natasha knows exactly how he feels but leans into Phil's embrace as he whistles their code softly. 

"Come here. Blood washes out, you will not." Solo huffs dryly as he wraps an arm around Illya's waist and gently squeezes his hip. "Would you like to join us for dinner Agent Romanova, Agent...?" 

"Coulson. And you are?" Phil arches an eyebrow at the familiarity Solo has with her. 

"Retired founding member of U.N.C.L.E., Napoleon Solo," Solo supplies at Phil's look. "Romanova and my Peril go way back." 

"We trained together," Illya murmurs as he presses a soft kiss to Solo's forehead after wiping off the blood on his face with a damp cloth. "It's a KGB thing." Her friend doesn't out her true age to her husband and for that she cannot repay him. Illya shakes his head minutely, telling her it is his pleasure to keep this for her. 

"We met in Budapest," Teller chuckles softly. "Illya received a code that was his area of expertise and we went. It was our last mission for U.N.C.L.E." 

"That one had to shoot me to convince the enemy she was on their side. Bad move for them, by the way. We blew the entire place to kingdom come." Solo continues as he picks up the story. 

The Avengers trail them, Clint twining his fingers with hers and asking via sign, 'That him? Your Peril bud?' 

'Yes. He's happily married to both of the former Agents so don't go picking fights.' Natasha signs back without having so much as to look over her shoulder to see if they're right; they should be after a solid decade together. 

'Both? Damn. Lucky guy.' 

'So are you.' 

'Yup.' 

"Wait, wait, how do you you two know each other?" Tony, ever the bright one, looks up and up and _up_ because Illya's 6'5" and still built like a brick wall. 

"The KGB," Illya tells a partial truth and bends down to kiss Teller on the lips. "Former training partners." 

"Good enough for me," Steve mutters as he texts Sam. 

"Ditto." Bruce says as he wallows in his warm sweater. 

"What the good Captain has said suits well enough."

* * *

Even with a shower and the promise of good food, Natasha can't shake the feeling of red on her ledger again. Illya leans against the doorway of the bathroom with an understanding look in his blue eyes. He doesn't block the exit but waits as patiently as she once waited for him to catch on. 

"More red, Illya, just when I thought I had a clean slate." she says quietly in Moscow-slang. 

"More red than I thought I'd see after the singular mission Waverly sent me on that drove me to retire." Illya murmurs back in the same tongue, lifting his arm for her to tuck herself under. "Red is... not the only color." 

"How can you be so sure?" Natasha argues as she watches Phil follow Solo's orders to chop vegetables with Gaby. Clint was helping him with the more complex parts of the meal, citing circus meals as experience enough. 

"There are plenty of them. The silver lining in your husband's revival, the gold in your wedding bands from two separate men, the blue of the sky and the black of the night. The colors of your Avengers—There are many that we can count on to be there alongside the red." Illya counters with a soft smile that he came close to losing before U.N.C.L.E. "Natasha, you're a star in your own right. You shine so brightly to those around you and yet all you see is red." 

"Maybe I just need a reminder that there are those who can see my light." Natasha's heart feels warm and she leans on Illya as their partners work in tandem, much they did long ago. "Thank you, Illya." 

"No need," He hums quietly. "Just come to me when the red clouds your vision and I will try to push the curtain aside for you."

**Author's Note:**

> Comment, complain, ect.


End file.
